By: Gracie Swind, Contributing Writer
Saint Leo University boasts an impressive selection of Greek life organizations for students to get involved in on campus. Despite some organizations being established over a decade ago, Saint Leo’s Greek lions continue to leave a meaningful impact both on and off campus to this day.
The Unified Greek Council Yard Show took place on Oct 31, 2019 outside the College of Business and featured a large sampling of the sororities and fraternities represented on campus. Greek organizations displayed their boards, colors, and letters with pride, sharing their missions with the newspaper happily.
Milka Tovar, Vice President of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc, and senior Elementary Education major, emphasized her chapter’s desire to serve the community, saying, “Our principles are sisterhood, scholarship, and service, so we’re really big on community service – we do a lot of community service on campus and off campus.”
Sigma Gamma Rho represents a diverse group of bright young women who give back to their community on and off campus through their time and talents.
Julenny “Juju” Rodriguez, junior Communications Management major, described a goal of inclusion and empowerment for women of all colors for her sorority.
“My organization is Latinas Promoviendo Communidad, Lambda Pi Chi sorority incorporated, the Alpha Alpha chapter here at Saint Leo University,” Rodriguez said. “I would best describe our organization as a way to empower women, especially of minority…We do strive to empower because we are women of character and women of strength and I think the best way to let a woman know that they’re empowered is by letting them know that you’re beside them.”
Rodriguez passionately expressed a desire to give back through the sorority’s philanthropic work, focusing in particular on their work with AIDS awareness.
“I think one of the best things is one of our philanthropies,…AIDS awareness, and I think when we do our tabling, when we fundraise and we give back to those to spread awareness about AIDS, I think we’re giving back [and]letting people know about a hard topic, but also letting them know that…they’re not alone, and I think that that’s something very big that we strive on…we’re gonna be strong,” Rodriguez explained, bringing together Lambda Pi Chi’s goal of women’s empowerment with its values of community outreach and service.
Greek life’s devotion to community service ties in strongly with Saint Leo’s core values of community and responsible stewardship. However, some Greek organizations also place a strong emphasis on some of the other core values.
Maurquise McGill, senior Secondary Education major, and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, defined his organization around personal development and excellence.
Alpha Phi Alpha focuses on holding its members to a higher standard of character and performance, bettering themselves by bettering others.
“[Alpha Phi Alpha] is a dynamic, fantastic fraternity that requires its members to…achieve and to soar above all that is just regular,” McGill said. “Our motto is ‘first of all, servants of all, we shall transcend all,’ so it’s definitely letting us know that we have to bring other people up to greatness…[and]we just want to help people make [themselves]better.”
Following their open tables, the Greek students shared a piece of their tradition and culture with attendees in the form of their step and stroll routines. The gift of their dance was just another way that Greek culture gives back to their community, this time in the form of culturally significant and impressive performance.
No matter the specific focus or mission, all of the Greek lions of Saint Leo University continue to improve their members, communities, and fellow students, through their gifts, their services, and their presence.
The gentlemen of Kappa Alpha Psi also tabled at the event are sponsored by St. Jude and give back largely in part through the hospital.
